LaLaDee

Lovely to see someone two years out doing so well! Congratulations! Your huge smile in the photos says it all!

So inspired by that post! Thanks!

I managed 50 sit ups. Can’t wait to look down and have abs!!

I haven’t had luck with anything! Have tried nioxin and Kerastase plus increasing protein/water. Taking vitamins for hair (eg biotin). I reckon I’ve lost 30-40% of my hair. Now I’m spending my cash on products that will create volume in my hair. im sure you will hear from people who swear by one product or another but I feel like there’s not much you can actually do. I’m so jealous of the lucky people who haven’t experienced this!!

Me too! I can see weight loss in my face, chest and limbs but the old tummy isn’t going anywhere apparently! That’s a bad place to carry weight too. I wonder if we are stuck with muffin tops? Anyone game to do a 100 sit ups a day and test if that will work for me?

Yay! I hit 100 pounds lost. I never, ever, ever imagined this would be possible!

I also have to say the nutribullet! Easy to make smoothies and clean. Other than that, I also bought sharp new chef knives to cut vegetables and fruit. You will also need tupperware because leftovers and meal prep will become your life. I didn't cook too much before my surgery and now I'm actually in the kitchen using stuff! It's weird!!

My surgeon never suggested that I set a goal. He said I'd get to about 110kg which is about the weight that I'm at now. I'm guessing this number was based off his experience with patients. For me, it was important to be realistic. To have a healthy BMI, I'd need to weigh about 79kg or something. I wouldn't have weighed that since I was about 12 or 13 years old. Certainly, never in my adult life! So the first time I set an official goal was when I needed to enter one in on this forum for my profile stats. I went with 100kg (220lb) for no particular reason other than it's a kinda memorable number and a little less than what my surgeon said but still in the ballpark. Obviously, that weight is still obese. I'm 11kg off goal now and under 5months out from surgery and I'm already at my surgeon's expected final weight. I have to wonder if it's possible to go lower! I'm curious if I can lose more weight. We'll see!

Agree with everyone about the lip balm - something super moisturizing that you like the smell of! I also took biotene dry throat spray which was a lifesaver for me. My mouth and throat were so dry after the surgery and you can't have water (I had been put in an oxygen mask so that made it much worse). I also vomited in the car on the way home (my body doesn't react well to anesthesia) and was glad I had brought those puke bags with the round plastic rims. I'd also bring ear plugs and possibly an eye mask - even if you have a private room, hospitals are noisy. Also, bring sanitary pads in case your period randomly starts from the surgery stress (if this is applicable to you). You do need slippers or shoes that you can put on without bending down so that you can slip them on easily. We had to do at least 10 laps of our hospital ward in order to be discharged. Other than that, take comfy pyjamas - I packed an oversized T-shirt but I didn't have any problem putting on PJ pants and tops. I had no problems with movement after surgery, but loose clothes that are easy to put on are a good idea. A big comfy sweater or thick robe will also hide that you are not wearing a bra as you walk around the hospital. I didn't even put on a bra to leave hospital as there was a little incision under my bust that I didn't want to irritate. I'd also think about the people you are bringing to the hospital. I told my family, I didn't want to see any crying or behaviour that would stress me out! I told them firmly how I needed them to be supportive. I'm quite the demanding diva!

Definitely! I’m not going to lie, it’s really hard on the pre op diet, the post op liquid and purée diet. You have to remind yourself that these phases aren’t forever! WLS is not the easy way out! It’s not for cowards! But if you’re brave enough to take this step, it is really worth it!

If you're having weight loss surgery then you have to get used to a high protein diet. After surgery, eating high protein will ensure you burn fat rather than muscle. As your calories are limited, you have to squeeze in as much protein as possible. The good news is that a high protein diet isn't so bad once you get used to it. Protein tends to fill you up. It's not like say, bread or potato chips where you could eat endless amounts. There's only so much beef or chicken you can eat before you feel full. Once you stop having so many carbs, the cravings will mostly go away. In the meantime, you can enjoy healthy fats (you can eat delicious things like cheese, avocado, peanut butter, etc). There are also lots of alternatives to the bad carbs. Zucchini noodles and cauliflower rice etc. I eat "cheeseburgers" which are just cheese and meat between lettuce leaves. The pre-op diet sucks, but you can handle anything for two weeks! The first month or two after the surgery is rough too. Once you're back on real food, you will feel so much better.

I also had problems with dairy. I had a yoghurt once and thought I was going to die! Thankfully, I don't have dairy issues anymore. Anyway, I used to make protein shakes with unflavoured lactose free protein powder and almond milk. This is a versatile base, so you can then jazz it up with other flavours and have a bit of variety- depending on what you can handle in terms of sweetness. e.g. cacao powder, frozen fruits and/or natural nut butter (you want sugar free stuff - you have to read the ingredients!). Do you have a nutribullet? Now that my dairy sensitivity is better, I'll make smoothies with regular/skim milk - only because it's cheaper to use the milk we have in the fridge than buy my own almond milk.

I had a salad at about 2 months out with no problems. Have a small amount, chew slowly and see how you go. You CAN make friends with salad!

Pre-op diets seem to really vary depending on your doctor. I was on the optifast program so I was allowed to eat vegies and salads in addition to having 3 optifast shakes/protein bars every day. The best advice is to just stick with your Surgeon's advice. They are the ones who are going to be digging around your liver! Lol!

I try and do 3 meals and a snack. Do not snack all day. The sleeve restriction will only help you if you eat a couple of times a day. Otherwise you can squeeze in food all day and you're basically cheating yourself. I would worry less about calories and more about whether you are hitting your protein goals.

Asking for a seatbelt extender is the worst! I can't wait to fly somewhere and just flop into the seat like everyone else!

Lol. I totally get the tall boots thing. It's summer in Australia, so I haven't tried on any boots but my dream would be to go boot shopping and everything zip over my calves! The changes in our body can seem really fast. I think it's normal to be in denial. In the last week, I've been wearing an Australian size 18 (I believe that is about a US 14 or 16) and when I look at the clothes, they just seem so small to me. Like, it's not possible that these things will actually fit on my body. I was wearing an Australian size 28 (US 24/26) before. I'm also still worried about squeezing through narrow spaces, fitting in restaurant booths and things like that. At 156kg (343 lb), I couldn't always get a car seatbelt on and now they just snap in - no problem. I still breathe a sigh of relief though because I'm always expecting them not to! It is totally surreal. And I'm the same, always assuming that next week, I'll gain 5kg somehow overnight.

I don't exercise enough (I think I might hit 3000 steps a day) and I eat dark chocolate every night before bed. My NUT said that the biggest sign that someone is going to succeed at WLS is that they start exercising. Sometimes I think about joining a gym. I don't have any injuries or health reasons why I can't exercise. I am pretty unfit though. Like, if I tried to run a mile I would probably puke and then pass out. I have also had alcohol about 3 or 4 times. The first time I had 2-3 glasses of champagne and got so drunk, it was frightening. More recently at Christmas, I had about 2 sips of wine (and with the meal too). My surgeon said that the gastric sleeve gives you 2 or 3 years to educate yourself and change your eating patterns. If not, you can expect regain and failure. I do hope to follow the rules. As someone here said, they are there for a reason.

Congratulations!!! This is awesome! I'm sure you are rocking those jeans!

I went through something similar. Had my surgery in August. My body freaked out from the surgery and I had this autoimmune problem in September. I spent time in hospital and was put on intravenous steroids for 3 days followed by 50mg of prednisone. I did taper off and stopped altogether after about a month. Still, it was the worst! It felt like the universe was mocking me. Here i am trying to lose weight and then bam, I'm forced to take steroids! The main point is that you have to take care of your health first. I hope that you're okay now. I know you posted this a little while ago, but I just wanted to say that i know what you're going through.

Hey SFCA, as someone who has probably lost average to above average numbers (so far anyway), I just want to say that I would hate it if anyone felt like they were lagging. Seriously, this thread is about support and not comparisons. We are all different ages, starting weights, body sizes, heights, have different metabolisms, medical conditions, different dieting backgrounds, and have different things going on in our lives. We're all on our own paths! It doesn't matter if your weight loss is slow and steady or spurts and stalls or completely random and erratic. We're all trying to move in the same direction - towards health and happiness. To me, it's less about the numbers then it is about the attitude and learning new behaviors. Congratulations on not having any regain! If your ticker is correct, then you have lost 46 pounds - that's amazing!

I've had itching too and was told that was just the sensation as it healed.

I love this idea! I'm very camera shy and I don't really have "before photos". Now, I wish that I did. It's so hard to see the changes in your body. Particularly when you don't see changes in the scale. Taking monthly photos could be a helpful tool!

Hey sunshinetinks! You're right it will grow back. I don't mean to alarm anyone who has only recently had the surgery. I think I'm probably in the minority - most people don't seem to lose that much hair. I'm sure freaking out is only making this worse. I need to be more zen about the hair loss.